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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25878877">Rattle the Stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold'>she_who_the_river_could_not_hold</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Troped: Fic Challenge [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The 100 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Captain Amelia isn't in this but if she was she'd be a lesbian, F/M, Mild Language, Space Pirates, Super Rough Sci-Fi Logic (but it's from the movie it's okay!), Treasure Planet AU, mild character death mentioned but not elaborated on, space western, the mildest of angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:34:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25878877</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Even as humanity spread itself through space, the universe remains the true final frontier. Outlaws rule the fringes of galaxies and for those who are down on their luck, it's not an easy lifestyle. </p><p>Octavia Blake grows up on stories of a fearsome bandit named Charmaine Diyoza and dreams of one day going on her own intergalactic adventures. She's eighteen when that becomes a reality, a chance encounter leading her on a treasure hunt throughout the galaxy in search of the famed El Dorado, a Treasure Planet made entirely of gold. Along the way she makes allies and enemies –– but one person in particular guides her along the way. A cyborg named Lincoln helps her blossom on the ship and come into herself and she can't help but fall for him, even as she learns that not everything is as it seems. But with the mysterious map in hand, unusual friends, and her own belief in herself, she might just discover more than gold on this adventure.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin (mentioned), Octavia Blake/Lincoln</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Troped: Fic Challenge [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524449</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>TROPED 3.0 Round 4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Rattle the Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my submission for the final round of Chopped: The 100, Round 3! Our theme was the author's choice, with the tropes being El Dorado, Frikdreina, Telepathy, and another author’s choice which I made to be “caught in a storm."</p><p>As for my theme I’m doing a combination of sci-fi and western, since we've already had sci-fi as a standalone theme. But since this is a <i>Treasure Planet</i> AU, this also throws in pirate-like themes (they’re outlaws/bandits… but they do still use ships) and then also similar to the movie, it draws inspiration from Jules Verne who popularized steampunk and the more obscure sailpunk. So really it’s a Space Western with Pirate + Steampunk elements in case you were curious about all of the origins (with less aliens than the movie). </p><p>The title comes from one of the last lines of the movie.</p><p>And I'm super excited to share how this fic did in the voting!</p><p>▸ 1st Place for Best Overall!<br/>▸ 1st Place for Theme: Author’s Choice [Sci-Fi/Western]<br/>▸ 1st Place for Trope: El Dorado, 2nd Place for Trope: Frikdreina<br/>▸ 1st Place for Bonus Poll: Best Plot Twist</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Nine-year-old Octavia Blake fought the yawn bubbling up inside her. She couldn’t fall asleep, not until Bellamy was done. He was prowling around her room, pretending to be an officer stalking after space bandits. He was fifteen, only just now beginning to fill into the oversized shirts he’d inherited, but his shadow against the wall was as large as the infamous Sheriff Wallace he was imitating. She giggled as he mimed being shot, cursing and shaking his fist as he dropped down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One day you’ll pay for this Diyoza,” he seethed, his voice still between octaves despite his attempt to push it deeper. Octavia had decided after watching him this year that puberty seemed awful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cheered, jumping off the bed and grabbing a wooden sword from her playchest. Her mom had refused to let her have guns but apparently swords weren’t as big of an issue. So Octavia brandished it proudly at Bellamy, pretending that it was instead a shiny revolver. She didn’t know what color Captain Diyoza’s plasma bullets were but she liked to pretend they were a bright blue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me my gold back,” she ordered, trying her best to sound grown up, “and I won’t kill the rest of your men.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did I say about killing people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two siblings paused in their antics to look towards where the voice came from. Leaning against the wall was a smiling but tired Aurora Blake. With a single glance at each other, Bellamy and Octavia sprinted towards her and tackled her in a hug. She let out a surprised laugh but returned it enthusiastically.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually they pulled apart and Aurora cast a look at Bellamy. “She needs some sleep, don’t rile her up anymore. Especially with stories about that outlaw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded sheepishly and Octavia allowed them to help her get back into bed. She couldn’t remember the last time her dad had helped, but her mom had explained to her that it was because he had to work at night. So it was routine tonight: Bellamy told her stories and then her mom tucking in the blanket tightly around her and Bellamy passing her the small, two-headed alien stuffed animal she’d had since she was born. They each kissed her on the forehead before leaving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bellamy was almost out, his hand hovering above the string to turn out the light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bell, wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her brother paused and looked back at her, silhouetted by the light streaming in from the hallway behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is she really a bad person? Like Mom says?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt small asking him that. It seemed like someone who helped give back was good, but their mom always disliked Bellamy telling those stories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bellamy sighed. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, even though he usually wore his emotions on his face clearly. Octavia waited. She almost wished she hadn’t asked; she didn’t know if she was ready to lose her hero to the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think she does things for the right reasons. And if the stories of her inspire you to be strong, that’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His answer was vague but it made Octavia smile, nodding her head as she accepted it. With that, Bellamy clicked the light off, closing the door behind him. It creaked, groaning in age, before sealing her room to darkness. Octavia then pushed the covers off of her and peaked pushed aside the curtains that were in front of her window. With them out of the way, the night sky was opened to her and she let out a long breath as she found the closest planet to them. It was called Polis V, a planet where the Commanders lived. From here she could barely make out the small moon orbiting it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satisfied that everything was how it should be, Octavia finally let out a big yawn and burrowed herself again, keeping her eyes just above so that she could see the sky from down on her bed. As sleep overtook her, Octavia prayed on every star she could still see that one day she could have an adventure in the depths of space too.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>– Nine Years Later –</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of the wind whistling around her took over Octavia’s senses, her heartbeat accelerating at the same rate as the speed of her solar cruiser. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let out a yell of victory as she tightly curved her body around a jagged rock formation, the board following her movements. She was testing out Raven’s newest design and her best friend had certainly picked up new tricks for the board, the rocket flaring brightly behind Octavia as she maneuvered throughout the rocky terrain. She’d accidentally busted up her last one, though Raven had admitted it hadn’t been her best design, so she’d outfitted her with a new one. After painting HELIOS II on the bottom, Octavia had ditched school to break it in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Solar surfing or just being anywhere in Shallow Valley was illegal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was the fun of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each turn was tighter than the next, nearly skimming the rocks. Flares of sparks from the rocket hit against them and shimmered on the edge of her vision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a rush, knowing that at any moment things could fall apart. Feeling your blood pounding in your skull as you pushed your body and a machine harder than they were ever expected to be able to go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as she was about to kick up to a higher gear, maybe attempt a trick off of the upcoming cliffside, she heard a loud siren behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are trespassing on private property, stop your cruiser before I have to do it myself, Blake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She groaned at the voice, slowing her solar cruiser to bumpy stop and raising her hands up in surrender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sheriff Charles Pike escorted her home many times after catching her breaking the law and today would be no different. His metal ride, somewhat stylized after a horse from back in the day on Earth, dug into the same spots on her legs as she climbed onto it, the wristband he’d clasped onto her wrist blinking up at her to remind her not to try to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually the Blake residence rose up in front of them, a standalone building amongst the desert. They were one of the last until you went out into the frontier. It was a barren planet, drawing people more interested in geography and strange alien life than settling. That meant that the Blake family business, a saloon that took up the first floor of the ramshackle building below their living quarters, brought in an interesting crowd. Occasionally scientists, usually gunslingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pike tipped his wide-brimmed hat to a handful of customers as they left as he shuffled Octavia forward, his other hand tight on her. She glowered at every curious look. They needed more regulars so everyone would stop being so damn surprised every time she came home like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The regularness of it wasn’t lost on Bellamy though, who merely clenched his jaw during Pike’s spiel. When Bellamy gave his usual reassurance that he’d make sure she didn’t do it again, Pike then unclasped the wristband from her and made his exit. Octavia turned from flipping him off to looking back at her brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O––” Bellamy didn’t finish, instead pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. The anger in Octavia dissipated as quickly as it had come and her shoulders slumped. He didn’t need any extra stress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glancing around at the saloon’s patrons around them, Octavia mumbled an apology and darted away. She didn’t want Bellamy to feel like he had to lecture her again around everyone, not when he needed to focus on getting tips. The costs of their mother’s funeral were still extravagant, even a year later. So she fled past him, grimacing in guilt. Taking the steps two by two, she darted up past the door of their mother’s old bedroom, making her way up the stairs until she reached the landing on the third floor. There weren’t any doors or rooms here. Instead, she yanked on a string that opened up the hatch to the roof and she shimmied her way up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tightness in her chest and the aching embarrassment of being such a burden immediately disappeared as she thrust her body outside, gulping in the fresh air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a kick, Octavia seated herself on the roof, legs stretched out in front of her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> was her safe space. Since her twelfth birthday and her limbs had been long enough to get herself up on her own, this had been where she’d escape. Where she’d hidden after the news of her father’s death in an Asteroid mining explosion. Where she’d had her first kiss with her then-neighbor, Levitt, and then cried when he moved away. It put her one step closer to the universe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stars began to emerge in the sky and Octavia tilted her head back to look up at them. She wanted to resent them, those distant twinkling lights. For how often they’d failed her as she’d wished with them all of her might. But nothing ever came of and instead they winked at her teasingly. It was like they knew how much she longed to explore the vast unknown of the last unexplored frontier. Humanity had migrated from Earth to the reaches of the solar system, but too much was still out there. Lawless, dangerous, uncharted. And waiting for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The roof scratched at her palms as she leaned further back, letting her hair slide off of her shoulders and hang downwards as she extended her head back and closed her eyes. Dreaming she could feel her body lift out of herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly the building beneath her shook and Octavia’s eyes shot open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hurtling towards the ground just in front of her was a personal travel vessel. That within minutes of her seeing it, crashed, nearly blinding her with a flash of light before its power went out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her vision returned as a figure emerged, painfully dragging themselves out from beneath the twisted metal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia didn’t pause to think, pushing herself to her feet and getting a running start to sling herself at the pipes on the backside of the house. The downward slant of the roof assisted her with extra momentum and her palms burned as she slid down, her focus was entirely on the person who had gotten themselves about halfway out from underneath the vessel before stilling. When she connected with the ground, she sprinted over and fell to her knees to get a look at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey mister, are you alright?” She had a feeling she already assumed knew the answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that she was there, she could tell that it was a man –– maybe in his forties or fifties. From above, it had been difficult to tell if he was an alien or not, but his human form was evident now. As was the extent of his injuries. Frantically looking around her to see if anyone else had heard the crash, Octavia made the split-second decision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re comin’, you can hear them, those gears and gyros clicking and whirring like the devil itself,” he groaned as she yanked him upright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thank the stars it was a slow night at the saloon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She burst inside, kicking the door open with every ounce of strength she had left after hoisting the man up and dragging him in. Barely registering that Bellamy’s fiance was at the bar now, Octavia grimly noticed the feel of the man’s blood seeping through into the side of her shirt and sticking to her own skin. A murmur of panic swept through the patrons but her gaze was on her brother. Not only would he hopefully know what to do, but his fiance Clarke was the small port town’s doctor. She’d know what to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second Bellamy and Clarke noticed her, which was hard not to at this rate, they raced over. Bellamy was able to shift most of the man’s weight onto him and Clarke immediately grabbed the other side of him, barking orders at a group sitting at a large table to move. The party did in a hurry, grabbing their glasses and scurrying out of the way just in time for the two to unceremoniously place the man’s body down. He was barely breathing and the rattling that accompanied each struggling breath didn’t bode well. Clarke got to work and Octavia felt her stomach curdle as blood stained the wooden table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clarke instructed Octavia to get a jug of water. Her hands shook as she passed it back to the blonde, who in turn was telling Bellamy to get her bandages (or any scrap of fabric he could find if she was probably honest).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia hovered awkwardly beside the man’s head. His skin has gone ashen white, a stark difference against his dark brown hair and beard. Tiny tattoos adorned his cheekbones and forehead and Octavia tried to remember how she recognized them. Suddenly she found herself staring right into his eyes, now open and staring intently at her. There was a frantic look to him, bug-eyed and paranoid. Bloodshot veins traced to cloudy hazel eyes that were looking into her soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she could look away, the man’s hand jerked out and grabbed Octavia’s wrist. She bit back a cry, looking down at the way his bloodied and grime-covered hand contrasted against hers. She was too surprised to yank it out of his grasp  and flicked her eyes back to his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-h-here,” he wheezed, his other hand reaching into the pocket on his jacket that was still on one side of him. Beside Octavia, Clarke had moved over to help Bellamy tear sheets into long strips and was oblivious to the interaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia’s eyes went from this face to his other arm. It pulled something out of his pocket and he used the hand holding onto her arm to yank her closer, placing the item into her palm. He pressed her fingers tightly around it before she could see what it was. At that point, Octavia was halfway bent over him and she found that maybe death did have a stench that made its way onto the living before it claimed them. She stared wide-eyed at him as he did his best to lean his head towards her.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beware… the cyborg.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice was hollow and she could feel his breath hot against her cheek. At the warning, Octavia finally wrenched herself out of his grasp. Stumbling backwards, she watched as Clarke hurried back over, casting a panicked look at Octavia. It was a silent question if she was okay and she was able to give a small nod back. As Clarke resumed trying to treat the wound and Bellamy joined her, Octavia looked down at the item in her hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was some type of metal sphere, a bronze shine to it as she took it in. It was covered with small symbols, similar to the ones on the man’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she could inspect it, she heard a choked cry and looked up to see Clarke bent over the man’s body. He was staring up at the ceiling unblinkingly and vacant. There was no rise and fall of his chest or breath left in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was when the whole house shook with another arrival of a ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Followed then by the sound of a loud crack and flames bursting into air outside of the windows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bellamy swore, jerking back away from the table. Patrons shouted as they scrambled from their seats and flooded outside. The sound of the aircraft could be heard overhead, getting closer before it stopped and just hovered. Octavia ran to the window, peering through it to see what was outside. In between the stream of customers leaving, she could make out a handful of figures making their way </span>
  <em>
    <span>back</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the saloon. They certainly weren’t anyone she recognized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quick! We gotta go!” She shouted at Bellamy and Clarke. Her gut instinct screamed that they had to get out of there. Octavia would always classify herself as a fighter, but she also knew when to leave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A plasma bullet blasted through the door, nearly nailing Clarke in the side. She dodged it artfully, shouting over the chaos, “I know how we can get out!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clarke’s family wagon was still alongside the back of the house from when she’d arrived earlier. They stumbled over each other as they scrambled up the stairs and Octavia took them to the hatch she’d just used earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the rooftop, they were able to follow in Octavia’s earlier footsteps down the pipes and to the ground. Just beyond the wreckage from earlier was the wagon, the three of them taking off towards it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All three were silent as they made their way to the Griffin house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After cleaning up, mainly so Clarke could clean the blood off of her, the three of them converged in her study. The Griffin family was one of the few wealthy settlers in the area and the house reflected it. Octavia knew it was a bit of a sore spot for Bellamy, not that he ever held it against Clarke. But she also knew that it was why he’d been happy to propose but then struggling with his pride in terms of the actual wedding. Octavia had even heard Clarke say that her parents didn’t mind supplying them with extra funds, but both of them knew that Bellamy was too stubborn to accept </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much help. No, he wanted to prove himself, as silly as it might have seemed. But that was why they both loved him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia had only been to the Griffin residence a couple times before for dinners and hadn’t actually seen the study before. And she would have enjoyed it a lot more if it hadn’t been for the evening that they were currently experiencing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The timing is too weird with all of that,” Bellamy swore, leaning against one of the desks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was right. There was no way it was a coincidence for the man to have landed like that, with a warning, only for the saloon to be attacked. Then something else dawned on Octavia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it has something to do with this?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reaching into the deep pockets of her cargo pants, she pulled out the sphere. It seemed like their strongest clue amongst all of the mysteries. Why would he have been so determined to pass it along to her if it wasn’t important?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them crowded around it while Octavia slowly turned it over in her hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was doubtful that it didn’t do anything at all; it would have been strange for someone to be that protective of a piece of decor. Her fingers gently brushed against the symbols, taking in each one. It felt like you could maybe press down on them too, so without putting too much thought into which ones she pressed, Octavia let her hands wander intuitively on the sphere and press a few random ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sudden stream of green light emerged from it, knocking her a step back almost like recoil from a rifle. Bellamy and Clarke jerked back in surprise and they all watched as the light shot up and then began to spiral around the room. A faint grid faded into view around it as different lit up shapes began to form.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a map,” Bellamy figured out quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaw dropping, Octavia slowly moved forward. The lines of the map continued onward, slowly circling and she watched in awe as she was able to walk through them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clarke’s eyes were wide as she looked around, muttering to herself as she did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bellamy was silent though, quickly trying to follow the map as it spun. His eyes narrowed in concentration and he was nearly tearing at his lip with his teeth as he chewed his bottom lip. At least until everything came to a stop suddenly and Bellamy was standing in the center of the room, looking down at a small planet with two long ovals of stardust criss-crossed around it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something about the visual tugged at Octavia’s memory but it wasn’t until Bellamy looked up with an ecstatic grin that things were pieced together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s El Dorado.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Octavia mirrored his smile as it really dawned on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course she’d seen it before. It had filled the stories when she was younger and littered the picture books they’d been able to get their hands on. El Dorado, the Treasure Planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’d mainly been in the fables he’d told her. A far away planet that promised the world to anyone who found it. She’d enjoyed the fairy tales when she’d been younger but had quickly moved onto more adventurous stories as she had gotten older, but she’d never forgotten about El Dorado. But this… this was a map that proved its existence. Which meant that the gold was out there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Bellamy explained the history of it to Clarke, Octavia began to look at the coordinates of the map more seriously. If it was real then...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her decision was made. She was going to sneak off and find the treasure. This would be how she apologized to Bellamy, helping him repair the saloon. He and Clarke could finally get married and well… she wouldn’t be such a disappointment maybe. She’d be able to live on her own and if she was able to do that, she could remove that responsibility from Bellamy. They could both live again without being a burden on each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was with that thought that Octavia went to bed, a small knapsack packed underneath her bed frame and the metal sphere safely buried in it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>xxxxxx</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Ark, the small crescent-shaped planet that Octavia had grown up on, served primarily as a transitional port. More of an outpost than anything, it was straightforward and trade focused. The large luxury ships that traversed the well-chartered areas of space didn’t stop here. And even though Octavia had at one point longed to see one of them, the sleek cruisers that cut through the universe with an unparalleled precision, she knew that wasn’t what she needed today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She elbowed her way through the crowd, muttering apologies to the few affronted looks she received. Otherwise she was invisible. This was a rougher crowd, people who had places to be and money to earn. Age wasn’t a concern out here in the frontier, teens younger than her already working in the outpost. She wasn’t paying too close attention to where she was walking, her eyes strained on the ships ahead. There wasn’t anything concrete she was looking for. Just any type of sign of a crew willing to change route and take her where she needed to go. Which surely wouldn’t be hard to do with the promise of riches beyond all belief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was increasingly looking like that wasn’t going to be an obvious solution, the small pistol on her belt feeling weaker and smaller every passing minute. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pausing beside some market booths, Octavia let out a frustrated breath. The coolness from the morning air was lifting and replaced with an oppressive heat. She knew that once the ships finished recharging their solar sails, they’d be taking off. She didn’t have time to waste. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that moment, fate continued to guide Octavia as much as it had when the man had dropped the map into her hands..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re looking for El Dorado,” she heard a grumbling merchant say, “at least that’s what I heard. As if they’ve got a better shot than anyone before them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia’s head whipped around, first looking at the woman who had spoken and then the ship that was in question. It was the largest one in port and it was comical that she’d missed it at first. There were blaster holes roughly patched on the sides, indicating at one point it had been in a heavy artillery fight. There was no flag waving which meant it didn’t have an allegiance to a commander. Definitely interesting people. And probably people who would accept her offer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sneaking onto the ship was easier than it should have been. All it took was perfectly shadowing someone lugging up a crate and then sneaking behind some barrels to hide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And from there she waited. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d secured a fairly decent hiding spot, especially with the hustle and bustle of preparing to depart. About an hour passed before she heard the gangplank being hoisted up and the groaning of the ship as it separated from the port. She fought the urge to look back at the outpost one final time. She knew she’d see it again, and next time she’d be richer. It wasn’t worth blowing her cover too early just to get one last peek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With excitement coursing through her, Octavia listened as the crew prepared to take off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re all clear Captain!” Came a voice to her right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All hands to stations!” Yelled another, this time further back. A flurry of movement answered that, boots pounding against the deck as the crew scattered to their positions. Octavia pushed herself down tighter into the shadows of the crates to remain hidden from the crew climbing the ropes, but couldn’t help feeling excitement. It was like all of her childhood dreams coming true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Loosen those solar sails!” It was the same voice from before and from her hiding spot, Octavia could just barely see the reveal of large cream-colored sails against the blue sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the ship lifted into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nearly squeaked at the sensation, her stomach dropping and she almost tumbled out of her spot. The engines in the back of the ship ignited and shook the floorboards. Up above, the sails lit up as their solar lining utilized the light to generate more power. As they rose higher and higher above the port, Octavia could feel herself lifting up as well. Trying to not panic that she might be seen, she tightly grasped her knapsack to her so it wouldn’t float away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Lightbourne, engage artificial gravity!” A woman’s voice cut through the noise that time and Octavia watched as a moment later, a bright blue light flickered across the base of the deck and she fell back to the ground. Her elbows smarted from the impact, but she giggled all the same. She couldn’t wait to tell Bell about this when it was all done. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After she could hear everyone else land back on their feet, she heard the woman’s voice again call out, “South by southwest Mr. Emerson, heading two one zero zero.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye, aye Captain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Full speed ahead!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that final cry from the woman, the ship took off fully into space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia barely had time to catch her breath, amazed at the speed it had been able to gather. They were now at a cruising altitude and it struck her that was now truly in space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The joy and freedom that washed over her at the realization was cut short by a vice-like grip clamping down on her shoulders. Octavia bit back a yelp at the pressure, looking up to see a greasy-haired man leering down at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She’d been caught</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well look what we have here. A stowaway,” he purred before yanking her up. “Let’s see what the captain has to say about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk towards the captain’s quarters felt twice as long as it was, Octavia quickly trying to think of what she could say to get out of the impending trouble. The map was burning a hole into her knapsack and she wondered if now was the time to pull it out. She hadn’t wanted to play her one card this early, but she couldn't risk getting thrown overboard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain’s quarters were more organized than she was expecting. Multiple maps adorned the walls, faded and yellow from solar damage. Guns hung up on the wall, blasters and revolvers alike. Stacks of books and notebooks lined the far wall and in the center was a desk with another map on it, a quill beside it with ink still wet drying on one of the planets on the map.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the wanted posters nailed to the walls that made Octavia pause though, her eyes taking in the face smiling back at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinked once. Twice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the captain looked up and confirmed what Octavia was just beginning to realize. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Captain Diyoza, I found this brat trying to hide on deck. Figured you’d want to have some say in how we get rid of her,” the man said, baring his teeth in what Octavia grimly realized was a smile. She could only focus on him for so long though, distracted by taking in the woman of her childhood stories in the flesh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stared intently at Octavia with a small smile. Octavia did her best to look like she knew what she was doing, rolling her shoulders back and jutting her jaw out. Whether or not it worked on Diyoza was up in the air depending on if she’d made up her mind before she even did anything. But either way, the captain shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave her here, McCreary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she didn’t give anymore instruction, McCreary let out a grunt of understanding before letting go of her. The childish part of her wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but that didn’t seem like the greatest impression to give to Diyoza.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Who was looking at her curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t be over the age of twenty, are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia bristled. “I’ll be nineteen in a month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Diyoza let out a low chuckle and shook her head. “You misunderstand me, I’m not judging you. You’re how old I was when I joined the military and only a few years behind my first heist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. That made a lot more sense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s also why I’m probably going to keep you on board with us,” she added on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A grin burst onto Octavia’s face as she stepped forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? That’s amazing, thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did say probably, don’t get too excited,” Diyoza corrected. But still, she gestured for Octavia to come forward and she hurried to sit down in the chair that was opposite of the desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This won’t be too long of a trip but you’re coming in at the best time,” she explained. “We’ve been doing a lot of work prior to this and we’ve got some good leads about a planet with… certain financial benefits. We haven’t nailed it down but I have a good feeling about this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean El Dorado, the lost Treasure Planet,” she interjected quickly. “I have something that can help you! In exchange for safe passage and for a small piece of the treasure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Diyoza’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes narrowed cautiously at Octavia’s statement. She didn’t verbalize anything, but the look on her face was enough of a command. She wanted proof. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia leaned over, fishing out the sphere. In the golden light of Diyoza’s office, the copper color it shone with had a fiery undertone.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While interesting on its own, she knew it wouldn’t be enough to convince Diyoza to let her stay. So she tapped the symbols in the pattern that she’d done the night before and watched as the office was filled with the glowing map. The planets spun around them faster this time, locating them in space faster than when she’d been on the Ark. That must mean they were closer now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Diyoza was entirely shocked now, slowly twisting her head to look around the room at it before then zeroing back in on the laser  projection of El Dorado floating right above her desk. The green highlighted against her cheekbones and reflected in her eyes a deep excitement. When she looked back up at Octavia, she knew she’d sealed her spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She closed the sphere and Diyoza nodded towards it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re more than welcome to keep that in my safe here if you wish, I’d advise you not to keep in your bag. Nothing against my crew, but when you’re a bunch of outlaws, you tend to trust them only as much as you need to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia thought that sounded more than fair, following Diyoza’s instructions and jumping up to secure the map in a hidden lockbox behind one of the walls of blasters. After locking it up, she returned to the seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I run a tight ship. I don’t want you to get into any trouble you can’t get yourself out of. You look barely legal but if you’re going to drink anything, keep it below the main deck and not around me if you don’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia’s eyes accidentally settled on the bottle of whiskey on the table. Diyoza let out a bark of a laugh, her head tossed back and her teeth flashing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not for me, it was a gift from an old friend who thought it would be a funny joke,” she said with a grin once her laughter died off. And then stood up to reveal a very pregnant stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no way for Octavia to hold back the shock on her face, her jaw going slack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She supposed it had been a long time for the captain to be looting the galaxy; she wasn’t the same young woman who first abandoned her post at the military to become the universe’s most feared outlaw. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chuckling at Octavia’s lingering stare, Diyoza walked over closer to her and leaned up against the desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her name is going to be Hope,” she said, her tone becoming gentler as she brushed her hand against her protruding stomach. “And she’s why I feel confident about this trip. This will be the time we find the treasure.” Her eyes landed back on Octavia. “And it must be what led you here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hard to argue with that. But that seemed like all of the time Diyoza set aside for sentimentality because she straightened back up and clapped her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, now that we’ve got that all settled, you’re good to become a part of the crew. I don’t have any great work for you unfortunately, but I’m not going to let you just coast during your stay––even with the use of the map. My first mate, Kane, will escort you to the kitchens.” Diyoza nodded towards the door behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia whirled around to see a new man in the doorframe. He was taller, more put together than McCreary. He almost looked like a military officer in the way he stood so upright, but if he had been it was long ago based on how long his peppery gray hair had grown out and the matching beard. He smiled politely at her and she nodded back, thankful that she didn’t get the same feeling around him that she did around McCreary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was clearly her cue to go though and so she awkwardly gave Diyoza a salute (she could hear a low chuckle from Kane behind her), before turning to follow himl. Now that she wasn’t in danger of being thrown overboard, she had a chance to appreciate everything around her. She greedily took in every detail that she could, storing them away for later use. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking down the steps into the kitchen, it took a moment for Octavia’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once they did she saw two men working in the back. The one closer to them spotted them first and gave a jovial wave. He was on the shorter side with a long brown wiry beard. He wiped his hands roughly on his apron before reaching out to shake her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Nyko, one of the cooks. This here is Lincoln.” He gestured to the other man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia’s eyes followed his hand and gulped when the other man turned around. He was impressively tall. His hair was shaved tightly to his head leaving only a faint stripe reminiscent of a mohawk down the center, showcasing tribal tattoos that lead from the back of his neck down towards his back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he continued turning around and her eyes fell from the warm brown of his skin to a cold, metal armature that started at his shoulder, bulky and intricate as it led to a mechanical hand. In an instant, the last words of the man on the table echoed in her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Beware… the cyborg.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a chance it could have been about a different cyborg, but it didn’t stop Octavia from tensing up. Because it all felt like too much to be a coincidence that the day after she gets the map, she lands up on this specific ship with a cyborg. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Lincoln perceived her reaction, he didn’t react. He walked up (she noticed he has a biomechanical leg as well) and shook her hand with a smile. “Welcome aboard the Eligius III.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kane briefly chatted with them before making his leave and when Octavia turned back around, the two were smiling at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me guess,” Nyko began slyly, “you’re here for the gold we’re going to discover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a split second where Octavia almost told them about the map but she kept it in. For now at least, she needed to figure out if she could trust them. Revealing how much she knew seemed risky. Even Diyoza had warned her to be cautious of the crew. So she merely smiled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn straight. Think it’ll be as good as promised?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lincoln let out a laugh then and Octavia’s earlier hesitation almost instantly melted away as she listened to him. She could give him the benefit of the doubt, he might not be the cyborg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it’s half as good as they promise, we’ll be set for life. They say the whole planet is paved with gold, the roads and everything. Even the dirt has gems mixed into it. They say it’s the ‘loot of a thousand worlds.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just mountains of riches,” Nyko added, a dreamy expression on his face. “Named for an old legend back on Earth, apparently the person who discovered it was from back then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had to get back to work soon then, Octavia cleaning while they cooked. But it was a rowdy affair and the stories evolved from El Dorado to old raids the two of them had been on long ago. Apparently Nyko had known Lincoln before he’d become a cyborg and the story of how he’d lost them was gruesome enough to make Octavia wave them away from her as she tried not to retch. But even then, she only saw mirth in Lincoln’s eyes as they recounted the stories. The warning she’d been given seemed like a false alarm and she knew the kindness in his eyes rang true. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>xxxxxx</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From there, the trip continued smoothly. Octavia took to her role in the kitchen reluctantly, but years of helping out at the saloon gave her enough of an advantage that helped get Nyko on her good side. There were long hours and she usually found herself just eating and staying in the kitchen. Plus, she still wasn't quite sure about the rest of the crew. They knew she had Diyoza’s approval to stay there so they treated her with a distant respect. Or as much respect as they’d show any newbie to the ships, which meant they at least didn’t secretly try to stab her in her sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was one individual though that gave her more than respect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cyborg, Lincoln.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was in the kitchen as much as she was and even though her initial distrust of him lingered at first, it was hard to not grow close to him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In contrast to the clunky metal workings of his biomechanical arm and leg, there was a softness to him that stood out to Octavia. He offered her friendship, something she hadn’t realized she would want aboard a ship like this. She’d come here singularly focused but each day, her walls broke more and more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He even began to help her spar, practicing after hours on the deck. They didn’t use their guns so as not to accidentally fire a laser into the ship, but he helped mainly with hand to hand combat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But beyond that though she found him the easiest to talk to. Easier than Bellamy, easier than Levitt. They were only a couple days into the journey and they’d each already swapped their childhood stories and he’d shown her his sketchbook while she’d told him about her dreams to get to space. Around him, she wasn’t an outcast, the girl who came from the poor family above the saloon who always got in trouble with the law. He seemed to see a different side of her and she felt herself soften around him. She even told him about the map just the other day, a moment of trust she couldn’t help. His eyes had widened with pride at the whole story and she had felt like she was glowing the rest of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It also helped that he was really ridiculously good looking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was thankful he was a good conversationalist because anytime he grew quiet, she’d become distracted by his tattoos and the idea of tracing them gently with her fingertip. Or when he’d pass her in the kitchen and his hand would brush against her lower back and she’d become hyper aware of the size and warmth of it on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was certainly an unexpected part of all of this, but she couldn’t help herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was day four at space when one of their sparring lessons was  interrupted though by a blaring through the ship. Octavia opened her mouth to ask him what it was when instead, her body was thrown to the side as the ship jerked around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve gotta go!” Lincoln shouted at her, his size and leg holding himself upright better than her. As the capsized movement eased, he used the chance to lunge forward and help her up before the two of them raced to the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coming out onto the deck, Octavia nearly fell back in as she looked around them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first glance, the sky around them still had the velvet, indigo color dotted by stars. But then with a turn of her head, she saw what it was that had rocked the boat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the distance, a star had collapsed and she watched as plumes of bright yellow and orange burst into the sky and spiraled out. It looked like it was reaching towards the ship, wanting to greedily suck it into its vortex. They didn’t have any time to waste.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A supernova,” Lincoln swore beside her and his fear was palpable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evasive action, Mr. Emerson!” Diyoza’s voice cut over the shouting and scrambling from the crew. Octavia could see her racing around the deck. Other than maybe moving slightly slower now that she was pregnant, it was impossible to imagine she was anything but in her best form. The sight of the exploding star did nothing to deter the confidence in her expression or the way she moved. This was a woman who had conquered space for decades. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All hands fasten your lifelines!” Kane roared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone including Octavia raced to attach the long ropes they had prepared for situations just like this. She’d only practiced tying hers once and tried to not let her hands shake as she did it for real this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What felt like flames from the explosion chased after the ship as it did its best to escape its grasp. Rolling clouds of smoke and stardust choked the air behind them and Octavia’s hair whipped around her as she hurried to follow the crew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up just as a shard of something sliced through one of the sails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ship rocked to the side and she shifted her weight as she ran so that she could stay upright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Kane,” Diyoza ordered, “secure those sails!” She’d seen it too and pointed up to where more damage was beginning to occur. They were surrounded by a deep burnt orange now, flecks of yellow shooting past them. Octavia’s throat burned from breathing it in. No wonder some of the outlaws out here had such raspy voices. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The order was clear though and despite her fear reaching almost paralyzing heights, Octavia climbed. She grit her teeth as she climbed the lines, one square to the next with each step. She’d done this before, but it had been calm and she’d had Lincoln just below her. He was still nearby on one of the lines near her but it still didn’t feel the same. Her legs were jelly once she got to the first beam, praying to anything out there that her rope held. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not afraid,” she whispered to herself, her voice almost immediately lost to the winds. “I am not afraid!” She repeated it louder as she slowly walked further out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clouds in the storm had turned into a river below them and the smell of what she could only describe as burning metal. She’d already discovered on this trip that space had a unique smell, but this was overpowering all of her senses. She had to stay focused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the odds though, the crew managed to get the sails down and Octavia felt a wave of relief wash over her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just in time for her foot to slip and for her to fall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heart in her throat and a scream escaping her lips, her eyes squeezed shut so she didn’t see her impending doom. But her fears didn’t come to fruition as the jerk of the rope holding her brought her to a harsh stop, digging into her ribs as it did. She was swaying in the wind over the edge of the ship. She tried to not cry out once she opened her eyes and looked below. No one was watching for her, all focused on their tasks at hand.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to Bellamy yet. To tell him that she was going to fix everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t die. Not yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trying to use the wind to her leverage, she focused on the mast in front of her. She wouldn’t be able to pull herself up to the one she’d been on originally but she could try to get to this one. With a grunt, she kicked her legs back to get some momentum. It was harder than she thought it would be, but each sway got her closer to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pictured being able to give Bellamy the gold. Taking all of the weight off of his shoulders, letting him live his own life instead of trapped by finances and worrying about her. Of her having enough to go on her own adventures after this––something she’d have to be alive for in order to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her palm sweaty, she managed to use the adrenaline pulsing through her to finally swing herself forward and got a hold of the mast, pulling herself up and closer, away from the howling supernova storm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Octavia!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been a few moments of clinging to the mast and she looked up to see Lincoln’s face. Relief overtook her and she sagged against the mast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to come and get you!” He called back down before disappearing from view again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, even though it was too late for him to see. While she waited, she anxiously looked around her. It was hard to tell how they were doing against the storm as they tried to pull away from it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A movement distracted her though, drawing her gaze further up. Alongside some of sails, she could see where Kane had made his way up to do his own share of the work. He must have been one of the few first mates to actually lift as much weight around as most of the crew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn’t that which drew her attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squinting, she tried to sharpen her view of what was going on. In the storm it was nearly impossible to see details but she could have sworn she saw a shadow on the other side of the sail. Moving closer to Kane. And then in slow-motion, she watched as the first mate fell off of the beam, not dissimilar to how it must have looked when she fell. She watched as he swung for a moment, his body jerked to a stop by the rope. She was now positive there was someone else up there with him, a blurry shadow against the red sky and lit up sail that was still being brought down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then she watched as Kane’s rope suddenly went slack, loose or cut from where it had been holding him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia let out an anguished cry as she watched Kane’s body fall, sucked down into the vortex. She couldn’t hear if he yelled anything as he did. If he really did see someone. She looked back up and the shadow was gone. Maybe she had really imagined it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The haziness of it all stuck with her even as they managed to pull out of the storm eventually, trying to work through what she had seen happen. It was hardly enough evidence to prove anything. She didn’t even have someone she suspected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though as she watched McCreary break the news to Diyoza, she had a feeling that if she were to point the blame somewhere, she would know who it would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as slippery as he was, she had no evidence. Diyoza would most likely listen to him over her, a young girl who had stowed away on her ship. She had no proof and to accuse a man of murder wasn’t a simple thing to do. So she’d silently stood beside Lincoln as Diyoza gave a brief speech about Kane’s character and honor before disappearing in her quarters. And she was silent as Lincoln quietly directed her back to the kitchen, their own safe space they’d made on the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kitchen was dark, none of the lights turned on. Lincoln seemed to have no problem though as he slowly checked her limbs for any injuries, gently tilting her head each way to look for any bleeding there. The anxiety of the moment was ebbing away and Octavia realized how safe she felt with him. He’d protected her at his own risk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heat radiating from Lincoln’s body, contrasted by the cold metal of his hand carefully touching her neck, clued Octavia into how close he’d become. He’d seated her up on the table and unconsciously he’d stepped between her knees so that he’d be able to examine her. After everything, from their late night conversations to the threat of death today, she couldn’t help herself. She slowly reached up with her own hand, cupping his face. She didn’t want to move too fast or scare him off. Her fears were for nothing. He turned into her hand, kissing her palm tenderly before looking back at her. Even in the dark she could see the intensity of his gaze and similar to earlier in the storm, it felt like she was being scorched. This was a much more preferable way though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They met in the middle, lips chapped from the storm. It didn’t matter though, not to her. Not as she sighed into and returned his kiss with equal vigor. The way his hands tightened against her hips, pulling her tightly against his chest left her equally breathless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything that had happened, everything she thought she had seen, melted away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>xxxxxx</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the day before they landed on the Treasure Planet and Octavia was hiding out in the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t really planned on it, but when she hadn’t been able to find Lincoln earlier on deck she figured this was going to be the best bet. Then she’d gotten sucked into flipping through his sketchbook that he had left down there, careful to not get any fruit stains on the pages as she slowly ate some of the extra figs they had stored down there. Just when she was thinking that maybe she might as well try the barracks again, the sound of thudding footsteps jolted her into sharp awareness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took one glance up to see the steel-toed boot of McCreary to send her diving behind the barrels of food, squishing herself as far down as she could. He was coming down the only entrance to the kitchen and she didn’t want to have a run in with him. Something inside her told her that he’d know what she suspected about Kane. He’d see right through her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She held her breath tightly in her chest, her hand over her mouth as a precaution, and listened as he stomped his way down. Followed by even more steps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anxiously, Octavia hesitantly twisted her torso around so she could see who else was coming down. It frighteningly looked like nearly the entire crew. She twisted back to her original position, letting her ears do the work as she listened in to their conversation.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The problem is the girl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>McCreary’s words sent a shiver down her spine and she swallowed the gasp that threatened to come out of her. He meant her. The silence that followed only increased the feeling of nausea in her stomach but all feeling dropped out of her when she heard Lincoln’s voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have something to say to me, McCreary?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The coldness of Lincoln’s voice made her eyes fly shut, her body completely stilling. She hadn’t realized that he was in here. It was already almost clear from the get-go that this wasn’t just a crew gathering for fun. Octavia knew how things worked. This was going to be a mutiny. And now Lincoln was a part of it. He was working with McCreary to overthrow Diyoza. Betrayal seeped into her body and she tried to not shake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think––” McCreary let his words come out in a slow drawl “––that you have a soft spot for the girl. Feelings, I’d say. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was hardly any consolidation in that McCreary hadn’t seen the kiss after the storm. Or the handful of them they stole in secret with each other over the last two days. While Octavia hadn’t thought much about Lincoln’s nervousness about being open about them, she hadn’t thought it would be because of something like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A murmur of agreement rose and fell through the rest of the crew as they awaited Lincoln’s response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard him scoff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re mistaken. I care about one thing and one thing only: Franco’s trove.” Lincoln’s voice was sharp and Octavia felt his words stab deep into her heart. But he didn’t know that and he carried on. “You really think I’d risk it all for the sake of some brat of a girl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia couldn’t stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks. She was too afraid to make a noise, especially now that she knew she was truly on her own in this room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least you getting all cozy with her got us closer to the map,” McCreary finally replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that was it. He’d found out about the map and now it was the final puzzle piece to their goal. She shouldn’t have expected anything else; this was what she got for choosing to work with outlaws. But knowing that Lincoln had given up the information to them––maybe not even given up, maybe willingly––made her blood run cold.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if we have the map,” the greasy-haired man continued, “then we don’t need the girl anymore. So let’s get that damn map and end this charade of the good little crew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a rousing cry of agreement from the crew mates down there before they began to shuffle their way out of the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia had to warn Diyoza. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She waited, holding her breath, for the final footfall to fade in the distance. When the coast was clear, she scrambled out from behind the barrels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Spotting Lincoln’s spyglass on the table, Octavia paused for a split second as her breath caught in her throat. A reminder of who’s side he was really on. Just as she grabbed it, she heard pounding footsteps and looked up to see Lincoln on the stairs to the kitchen, looking down at her. His expression was unreadable but the situation was clear: she’d been down here for the entire conversation. She now knew everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that my glass there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice rumbled in his chest and Octavia swung it behind her back, remaining silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we playing games now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took two steps down closer to her. She gulped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Playing games? I think you’re one who decided that we are. When you betrayed my trust, planned to overthrow Diyoza,” she managed to spit out. She was trying to not shake. Where was her blasted gun when she could have used it?! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lincoln’s eyes closed briefly but Octavia only managed to move a couple inches forward before he opened them again. In the high contrast lighting of the kitchen at this time of day, his eyes were a deep brown, almost black as they stared directly into her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand what I’ve been through,” he growled, “what I’ve had to do to survive. McCreary… I owe him a huge debt. We’ve all got monsters inside of us, and we’re all responsible for what it does when we let it out. This is me doing exactly that. I’m cleaning up my end of the bargain so that I can be free of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice cracked as he continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I can’t let you get in my way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanted to cry at his words. She’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen</span>
  </em>
  <span> him through his stories over the past days that they’d been here, the hours they’d spent together. There wasn’t a way for her to merge the two Lincolns in her mind, to see him as the person standing in front of her. But she also knew when he was being serious and in that moment, no matter how tenderly he had held her or the way he made her come undone with even just a kiss, this was now a man who would stop at nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catching him off guard, she let out a roar of anger and charged him. He had the size advantage but surprising him gave her enough of a head start, kicking at his mechanical leg and throwing him off balance so that she could dart past him. She almost could feel his fingers reaching for the ends of her hair as he fell to one knee and she sprinted away</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia rushed into Diyoza’s office, panting as she tried to catch her breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, just the young woman I was looking for. I’m fairly certain based on our coordinates that we’ve reached El Dorado,” the captain exclaimed cheerfully without looking up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s going to be a mutiny, Captain,” Octavia wheezed out. And that brought Diyoza’s attention away from the map she was staring at and up at her, her expression frozen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only then Octavia noticed the other person in the room. One of the only other women on the ship, Niylah. The blonde woman was quieter and the two of them hadn’t interacted much and for a split second Octavia feared that she was going to turn on both of them. But thankfully it wasn’t the case. She looked equally horrified and jumped up to help shut the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then it looks like we need to suit up to get out here,” Diyoza said grimly. She looked rather unsurprised. But with her record, maybe she’d seen worse. Or even already experienced something like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tossed keys to Octavia who immediately remembered the map, racing over to the safe to pull it out. It was still in the small knapsack she’d brought it in and a wave of memories washed over her. The bag even smelled a bit like the Ark, dry and dusty too. She slung it over her shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is what I get for working with low-grade outlaws.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the circumstances, Octavia still managed half of a laugh at Diyoza’s disgust. But she quickly pulled herself back together as they continued to prep themselves. Guns were pulled off of walls and rounds of plasma bullets were put into bandoliers that they threw across their bodies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re coming this way,” Niylah hissed from her position near the door. They’d bolted it shut and pushed the desk chair up in front of it but it most likely wouldn’t hold forever against the size of the crew out there. Octavia had never imagined dying in a shootout before, only having ever heard of them when bandits became surrounded by a police force.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it looked like Diyoza had no interest in going out that way. She was focused on the back wall and it was only when Octavia did a double take did she see the hidden seam that she was working away from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always have a back door for a quick getaway,” came the captain’s grunt of a reply, before the door finally gave way and they stumbled into a back hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they moved quickly through it, guns drawn, the sound of the rest of the crew wrecking the ship filtered through the walls. They yelled and hollered. Pounded the ship with their boots and the butts of their rifles. It sounded like there were some shots fired. Maybe not all of the crew had defected. Octavia prayed that Nyko was safely hiding somewhere, even as she knew that hope was most likely futile. McCreary was nothing if not thorough with his methods. Lincoln was proof of that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They managed to get down deep below deck, amongst the cargo. Octavia sighed in relief at the sight of an evacuation longboat just ahead of them. They could do this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clattering of sound and firing of shots drew their attention back to the hallway behind them, Niylah aiming her gun at the opening just in case. Diyoza and Octavia quickly prepped the boat to leave, cranking the opening below it open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another shot fired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them had barely gotten into it when a shout could be heard in the room.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the longboat dropped down, plunging into space and its sails opening wide, Octavia looked up to see Lincoln and McCreary leaning over the ledge staring at them. One with a grin and one with a glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She focused back down on helping Niylah navigate towards the planet, her heart just beats away from exploding out of her chest. She jerkingly punched in the solar coordinates and the small sails lit up with solar energy and they took off towards the planet below them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they broke through the atmosphere, the first thought that Octavia had was that she had never seen so much green before in her life. The Ark was more like the deserts of the universe’s moons than it was like most planets so she was unaccustomed to this much vegetation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her second thought was that there wasn’t supposed to be this much green.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was supposed to be gold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the longboat landed, the three of them were silent. They were all thinking the same thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pulling out the map hesitantly, Octavia tapped each of the symbols required and watched as the sphere opened up as normal. However the usual map didn’t appear. Rather than needing to show the entire map of the galaxy, it instead gave them a single line to follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia nearly dropped the sphere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That meant that they were really here. They were really on El Dorado.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a look towards the other two for confirmation, they then began their trek. They slowly walked through the underbrush, weapons drawn and at the ready. Most of the plant life seemed almost alien as they moved through it and Octavia wished she could spend more time looking around at it. She remembered a kid from her school, Monty, who had been obsessed with the little vegetation on the Ark. He would have loved it here if he had the chance to somehow ever see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Following the glowing green line from the map seemed easy enough at first, but Octavia was still half convinced they were going in circles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until they came into a new clearing they hadn’t seen before and a woman was standing at the edge of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niylah nearly fired on instinct but Diyoza caught her firing arm just fast enough to stop her. The three of them stood silently, both parties staring at each other intently. The woman looked unnatural in this setting. Perfectly coiffed long brown hair, a bright red dress. She was unsettling to look at only because she so clearly didn’t belong amongst the alien jungle. And she also didn’t happen to be holding a lot of gold, so they were no closer to their goal or answers than before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome,” the woman said suddenly, making the three of them jump back. “If you have any questions, please ask. I am equipped to answer any and all inquiries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Diyoza relaxed next to Octavia, lowering her gun from where she’d had it trained on the woman’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to worry. It’s an AI. A really good one, but an AI. I recognize that type of behavior.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think it can help us?” Niylah asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As if she’d ever trust an abandoned A</span>
  </em>
  <span>I, Octavia thought to herself with a grimace. There was a reason the outpost back on the Ark didn’t have many. Unreliable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can trust me,” the AI said abruptly, her posture adjusting so that she was facing her. “I was not abandoned, I was left here on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niylah blinked a few times in surprise at the sudden outburst before glancing over at Octavia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just read my mind?” Octavia demanded, tension in her shoulders creeping in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This didn’t feel right at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The way the AI smiled and cocked her head gave the illusion that she found the exchange humorous but it was just enough on the edge of uneasy that Octavia couldn’t respond with her own smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“While my programming would not be considered telepathy as human stories call it, I would also say that is the best way to describe it. I am able to perceive micro expressions and dialect changes to understand your subconscious in ways that may not even be obvious to you.” At that, the AI full-on smiled widely with all of her teeth and Octavia grimaced. “So yes, effectively I can read your mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” muttered Diyoza. “Exactly what we need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” the AI responded immediately, pointedly looking over the captain. “You are lost on a planet that you do not know and I have been here since I can recall. I was made to be useful and you appear to be in need of assistance. Therefore, I am exactly what you need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who programmed her to be so sassy?” Niylah’s skepticism was clear in her tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The expression on the AI brightened to a more genuine smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doctor Becca Franco is my creator. She made me in order to assist others and to be able to detect needs before they even know they have them. The ‘telepathy’ as your kind calls it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well do you know where the treasure is?” At Octavia’s biting tone, all three faces swiveled to her. She shrugged at Diyoza’s most specifically. “What? If she’s been here for a while, she’ll know. It doesn’t hurt to ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your curiosity will prove you useful,” the AI piped up before the older woman could respond. “Though the tenor of your voice indicates you don’t have too much faith in me and are asking as a last resort. I promise that I will be able to help you to the best of my abilities.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This was going to get old really quickly</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Octavia inwardly groaned. But she nodded all the same.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.” Another flash of the AI’s unnerving smile. “In that case, let us continue onward. You may call me A.L.I.E. That is what Becca programmed me as.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? What else did she program you with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the question, A.L.I.E. faltered a bit, her otherwise perfect forehead creasing as she thought to herself (something that Octavia hadn’t been quite sure that AI could). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I do not remember. I believe I’m missing some aspects of my data.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did it get corrupted?” Diyoza’s question seemed to harken back to an earlier time in her life, her ease at understanding the AI giving Octavia only a glimpse of a past that remained hidden.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A.L.I.E. shook her head at that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I would be aware if my files were corrupted. This is why I think it’s missing.” She turned around and undid the top part of her dress, pulling back her long black hair with the other hand. The unusual mobility of her arms were enough to indicate the inhuman part of her, but it was even more highlighted by what she revealed to them. Not only was she an AI, but her underneath her dress and her skin was a conglomeration of cords and buttons that were embedded in a metal frame. A near perfect human automaton mixed with AI. Whoever this Franco was knew what she was doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Indeed though in the middle of her back upon closer inspection, there was a missing cube. Almost to the point of being rectangular, there was a gap hidden underneath wires where something like a memory chip would be normally located. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully it wasn’t anything important,” she muttered to herself. Louder she added, “Okay, well let’s just get a move on. Where to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out that this Becca person had designed a single building for the entire planet, at least as far as they could see, so that was where A.L.I.E. guided them. They took it slowly, helping Diyoza move along despite her insistence that her pregnancy wasn’t holding her back. Octavia knew the others would be close behind them and she couldn’t stop looking over her shoulders. At least they had the map and McCreary didn’t. Even if they were hot on their trail, it would take them much longer without the guidance that they had (as well as A.L.I.E. now). While they deviated from the trail towards the house, she closed the sphere and put it back in her bag. For now at least, it didn’t seem like they needed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The building she led them to was in the center of a massive clearing. Tall and white, it was as out of place on this planet as A.L.I.E. was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were nearly to the front entrance of it when suddenly McCreary stepped out from behind the building. They all jerked back, hands back on their guns. But it was too late –– they were surrounded. Eventually Octavia’s gaze fell back behind the building where she could see the Eligius III docked just beyond. They’d had better luck than them on their landing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give us the map and no one gets hurt,” McCreary growled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lincoln was near the back of the group but Octavia refused to make eye contact with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you even think of hurting them I’ll break this myself,” she seethed. But she still hesitated, watching as Diyoza’s hand subconsciously touched her stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You no longer require the map as a source of direction,” came A.L.I.E.’s voice from behind her and Octavia nearly screamed in frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s this?” McCreary swung his blaster to face the AI.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A.L.I.E. tilted her head. “I’m A.L.I.E., an AI that was placed here by Doctor Becca Franco. As much as you want to shoot me, I suggest that you don’t give into that impulse. While you might damage my external hardware, I’ve been set up to backup to a larger system and you will not be able to kill me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He narrowed his eyes at her response to him before hesitantly redirecting his aim away from her back to Octavia. “Fine. Then what do we need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged. “I only knew it as a map.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A.L.I.E. stepped forward. “Yes, but it is also a door. Have you tried all of the codes yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused, Octavia pulled the map out of her bag, turning it over in her hand. There were so many symbols, but nothing happened as she pressed different ones. But then just when she was going to give up and pass the damn thing over to A.L.I.E. or even McCreary, she noticed one symbol she hadn’t pressed yet. It didn’t match any of the others. Instead of odd letter-like shapes, it was an infinity symbol. She had no idea how she’d missed it but that must have been it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she pressed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What looked almost like green fire burst into the air around them, illuminating everything in the immediate surroundings. From the sphere it first emerged as a single line, pointing straight to the heavens. Then slowly it began to open, the bottom portion opening to reveal it as a triangle. But if you squinted enough to see past the swirling smoke of the outline, there was something on the other side. At first it was just a glint of gold but when the triangle had completed its expansion –– now the width of a small travel vessel  –– all you could see was mountains of treasure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From behind Octavia came shouts of victory and gasps of excitement. She was shoved to the side as the crew members pushed forwards, not even hesitating to see if it was safe before stepping through the triangle and to the real El Dorado. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s technically an Anomaly stone,” came a voice from beside Octavia, who looked over to see A.L.I.E. staring at her. “Created to protect the treasures saved from all over the universe throughout time. This is an otherwise unchartable planet, no one knows where it really is without the stone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s amazing,” she admitted. She looked back at the swirling green triangle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shall we?” A.L.I.E. sounded almost excited to take her through, so Octavia took a deep breath and followed the AI onto the new planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was dizzying to walk around. It was difficult to tell if they were inside a giant cave or if it was outside, giant crystals jutting out of the floor and reaching upwards into a cavernous darkness. There weren’t the roads that were rumored to be there, instead the ground was literally gold. Piles of it built up almost like mountains. It wasn’t the lush jungle of some stories, nor the golden city of others. It was just truly all treasure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Noting that most of the crew were to one side gathering up as much as possible, Octavia slid over to the opposite side. She briefly made eye contact with Lincoln as she did, biting back an instinctive smile that he was apart from the others. Nyko was somewhere in the middle inspecting a pile of treasure as well. Meandering deeper in, Octavia’s focus landed on what looked like a small personal space shuttle. A nearly ancient one by the looks of it, maybe from when people first migrated further into space. She trudged across a particularly steep mountain of gold to get to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first glance it seemed perfectly normal outside of being old, but when she lifted the hatch, Octavia stumbled backwards at the sight of a skeleton. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was difficult to immediately discern much about the body, it being only bones, but it looked like on the remains of the outfit there was a faded FRANCO patch on the chest. It must be the body of the woman who had built all of this and the AI.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if knowing she was being thought of, Octavia heard A.L.I.E.’s voice float by. “She created me in my likeness if you were wondering what she looked like before her body decayed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia flicked her eyes over to A.L.I.E. and back to the bones, let out a hum of half-interest. The rest of her attention was caught by the hand of the skeleton, the bones of the fingers wrapped tightly around something. Something that looked like just the size of the missing piece from A.L.I.E.’s back. Careful to not disturb the body too much, Octavia leaned over and began to fidget with the hand. Luckily, the bones cracked back almost instantly and she felt a quick pang of guilt about investigating. But maybe if A.L.I.E. was complete, she’d be able to help them even more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Straightening up, she turned back to the AI.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, A.L.I.E., is this your missing piece?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia held up the chip and A.L.I.E.’s face lit up. Unlike the rest of her mechanics, this piece had a blue glow to it and an infinity symbol embossed into it. She nodded eagerly and walked briskly over to her, repeating her earlier motions with her hair and dress. Gently, unsure of how any of this really worked, Octavia lowered the chip to put it back in. As soon as the wires were close to the others in her back, the ones connected to the chip sprung to life and nearly suctioned themselves back in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jumping back a little at the sudden movement, Octavia looked back up at A.L.I.E. to see how she was reacting. She was completely still as everything reconnected, but then stood up with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now I am complete! And I have all of my memory back as well. I remember why I was left here too. Just in case there were too many people.” The bright tone of her voice didn’t offset her last sentence enough to set Octavia at ease, who took a small step backwards at the words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you just say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A.L.I.E.’s expression grew concerned. She looked around them and Octavia mirrored her, watching as one of the crew members lifted up a chest filled with diamonds and let out a roar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too many people,” she repeated distractedly. Her large brown eyes refocused on Octavia. “There are too many people here. To unleash wealth like this on the world will only corrupt it more than it already is. Becca programmed me to prevent it from being revealed, taken away. In case anyone was to actually discover it and trigger the end.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia rushed forward at that, shaking A.L.I.E.’s shoulders. She looked so human until you felt her and the synthetic skin and hardwiring beneath it. But there wasn’t even enough time to allow for a shudder at the sensation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The end </span>
  <em>
    <span>of what</span>
  </em>
  <span> A.L.I.E.?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep rumbling beneath them began to vibrate up Octavia’s body as A.L.I.E. stared widely at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she didn’t need the AI to explain anything else now. It all made sense. The lengths that Becca Franco had gone to hide all of this. To make sure no one could find the treasure. It hadn’t been for her to eventually come back to, if her skeleton indicated anything, but so that it was gone from the universe. And then to seal the deal, she’d booby trapped the whole planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia watched as A.L.I.E. nodded at her, an expression somewhat akin to remorse on her face. “You’re correct. If my calculations are correct, there is maybe ten minutes between now and the total destruction of El Dorado.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no time to waste then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t wait to see what A.L.I.E. did, who knelt beside the bones of her creator and seemingly powered off now that her task was complete. She didn’t pause to grab any of the gold that overflowed around her. This was all cursed and she was going to get out of here alive so that she could also save Diyoza and Niylah. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was sprinting forward when with a groan, the entire ground shifted beneath her and broke apart in front of her. Underneath the piles of almost molten gold, she could see a mechanical underworking. Copper walls shone from underneath, pale green rust offsetting the hundreds of gears and inner workings. This wasn’t even a real planet. It was all made by a human––a woman who was going to take them all down with her in the name of removing greed from humanity. Octavia didn’t have time to ponder much more than that because the momentum of the shift in the ground was enough to fling her forward towards the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her hands barely had time to catch one of the gears, stagnant in its old age. Her fingers had almost no room to grip and her muscles immediately began to shake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had no idea if she had enough strength to save herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as she was about to give up, on her third attempt at hoisting herself up, she saw a familiar face appear above her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lincoln!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She knew what he had done and that he had betrayed her and Diyoza. But at that moment instinct kicked in and she hoped that when he looked down and saw her, he wouldn't do it again. She had to believe it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was impossible to see his expression and she knew that every moment he waited to help her, it was less of a chance of him getting out with gold. Less of a chance to be free from the world he’d accidentally locked himself in and that changed him. He was still hesitating, but it was enough for her to believe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he disappeared from view, she had to choke back a sob.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then within seconds he was back and she was stunned as he reached his mechanical arm over the ledge. She wasn’t sure how he was keeping himself upright, but she watched as it expanded towards her. She’d never seen the full capabilities of his arm before and she blinked in shock as it reached all of the way down towards her. She’d only have to make a small jump to grab onto it versus the multiple pull ups and climbing required on her own. Just one small leap of faith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She made it without a question. Her heart told her that he would catch her and she was right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d saved her </span>
  <em>
    <span>twice</span>
  </em>
  <span> now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pain in her heart from the betrayal immediately disappeared. He might have seen himself as a monster and committed to acts he wasn’t proud of to redeem himself in his eyes, but there wasn’t anything else he would ever have to do to show her the truth about him. He was a good person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a grunt, he retracted his arm and it slowly pulled Octavia up out of the crack and into his arms. He then pushed off of the mountain of gold that was quickly collapsing, letting the two of them slide down it until they reached the bottom. Around them chaos was consuming everything. Octavia could hear screams as more giant cracks appeared around them and began to swallow gold and crew members alike. She watched as people she’d only barely known but recognized grappled to try and save themselves, but instead plunged to their deaths. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ran as quickly as they could, Octavia’s athleticism helping her keep up with Lincoln’s as well as his longer stride in general. She was thankful that Diyoza and Niylah had stayed back, they would have never been able to move fast enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The triangle ahead looked like it was slowly closing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>El Dorado was destroying itself, sealing itself in the folds of the universe forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A roar of rage distracted them as McCreary appeared on the horizon. Octavia almost stumbled on the slipperiness of the coins at the surprise––and she would have fallen if it wasn’t for Lincoln’s determined grip on her. He’d slowed too at the sound of McCreary but refused to give him his entire attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>McCreary began to charge towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t seem interested in saving himself to Octavia’s shock. He must have resigned himself to his fate and for whatever sick reason, wanted to take them out with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were so close to the exit now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could almost hear McCreary’s labored breathing now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crack of the ground splitting between them sounded like a ship taking off, sending both parties further apart from each other. Lincoln and Octavia scrambled to keep themselves upright and looked over just in time to watch McCreary lose his footing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A look of terror crossed his face as it registered that there was nothing to hold onto and the last thing that Octavia saw before Lincoln yanked her through the portal was McCreary disappearing into the depths of the planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brightness of the planet they’d first landed on blinded them briefly but shouts from their remaining party helped guide them back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have time to explain!” Octavia shouted out to them. “Head to the ship!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This whole place is going to blow!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shaking from El Dorado was beginning to follow them here, the faintness of it not much of a comfort. They could only assume it would get worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>McCreary’s unfortunate location for landing the ship had been a pitfall earlier but was now a blessing, preventing them needing to try to make it all the way back to the longboat they’d taken. They scrambled aboard, ignoring the bodies that were left behind. They’d check for hopeful survivors later. For now, they needed to get the hell off of this planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each of them scrambled to get the ship ready to go and Octavia was impressed with herself for how much she’d already picked up during her time on the Eligius already. Maybe it was the panic running through her, but she kept up with Lincoln and Niylah as they hurried to get everything ready. Diyoza was grimacing in pain and holding onto her stomach, but there was no time to think about that so she shooed everyone away and stood ready at the wheel. With a rope then tied around each of their waists just in case with the speed at which they were leaving, they took to the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d barely broken the atmosphere when the planet combusted on itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The explosion was a red hot one, catapulting the ship even further than the rockets at full blast would have been able to. It felt different than the supernova and this time, it wasn’t sucking them in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was impossible to process it all, so Octavia was thankful when the ship was going to be able to enter a cruising speed and they could get some sleep. They’d take shifts later, but for now they could rest. Grabbing onto Lincoln’s hand, she took him down with her to the bunks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sunk down onto the lumpy mattress in the corner. Now, with just a crew of four, they had a pick of the room for sleeping. But nowhere else in the room could two people fit and in this moment Octavia had no desire to be anywhere except beside Lincoln. She’d burrowed herself into his arms and chest the second they’d hit the ground, humming with contentment as his hand found a home on her hip, keeping her close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each of them had a metallic smell to them from being entrenched in golds and other precious metals, as well as sweat. But it didn’t matter. Not after everything they’d been through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we’re alive,” Lincoln groaned, his mechanical arm stretching out with accompanying clicks and whirring as he rolled his shoulder a few times. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re telling me,” she said with a huff. She’d accepted her fate that she would be sore tomorrow, but at least being sore meant that you were alive. “All of that though and we didn’t get any gold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t mean to sound sour about it. She’d escaped with her life and now Lincoln was free from his debts with McCreary crushed to death on a planet no one would find ever again. Now it could all be behind them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So caught up in her own thoughts, she almost missed Lincoln chuckling until she felt his chest shaking with laughter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh that’s right,” he finally said when he caught her inquisitive look. And then he leaned away from her towards his jacket that was on the ground, rustling through the pockets. Octavia jerked up to a seated position when her eyes landed on the gold that he had pulled out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d managed to grab some just before I saw you start to fall.” He smiled glowingly at her. “It’s yours,” he quickly added. “I have no more need for it, so please take it. Give it to your brother.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss Octavia planted on Lincoln nearly knocked him over and it slowly dissolved from a passionate one to gentle ones peppered in between soft laughter as they eased back onto the bed. As much as Octavia would have liked to stay awake for longer, showing her gratitude in other ways, she could feel the lulls of sleep taking over both of them from such a long day. And knowing that now she’d be returning home with something to show for it added to the excitement, but also told her that she should get some good rest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lincoln firmly pressed a kiss to her hairline, his fingers stroking her cheek delicately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to rattle the stars, Octavia,” he murmured, his lips moving just barely against her skin and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as the two of them drifted off to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>xxxxxx</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Bellamy opened the door, it was clear he hadn’t been expecting her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Octavia nearly bowled him over as she tackled him in a hug before it registered with him, following up his realization with clapping his arms around her in an equally tight hug, They stayed like that for a long beat, enjoying the feeling of being reunited. When they finally pulled apart, happy disbelief was the only expression on his face. If she’d been at all worried he’d be mad at her for sneaking off, her coming back in one piece outweighed it for now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey big brother,” she said finally, grinning up at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Care to explain where you’ve been?” he teased, reaching up and yanking on one of her braids. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hesitated for a moment. “It’s a long story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could ask anything else, Octavia quickly swung her knapsack around her shoulders to the front. Fishing around, she triumphantly pulled out the pieces of gold and few gemstones and shoved them at Bellamy. He nearly staggered back in shock, a handful of the coins clanging to his feet on the hardwood floor of the saloon. His eyes like saucers, he slowly inspected each piece.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not your responsibility anymore Bell,” Octavia whispered as he looked up at her. “And you don’t have to worry about the saloon as much or waiting to marry Clarke. You can really live now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could see tears beginning to form in his eyes that had glassed over and she was sure hers reflected that as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rubbing at his eyes, Bellamy let out a shaky laugh. “Well, now you really are going to have to explain yourself. I’m about to make lunch anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding with a smile, Octavia agreed. But then she paused before crossing the threshold. “Oh –– one more thing.” She turned and gave a slight wave behind her and Lincoln appeared from where he had been waiting. She saw Bellamy pause, a cautious look coming across his face as he spotted the other man. But he didn’t say anything, his lips quirking up into a small smile as he gestured for the two of them to follow him in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Octavia stepped back into the saloon, she let out a long breath. Things were still damaged, showing the reality of how little time had actually passed since she had left. But she’d grown a lifetime amongst the stars over the past week. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And still, she knew this was only the beginning of her journey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <i>Maybe the real treasure is the friends we found along the way.</i>
</p><p>Ahh thank you so much everyone for voting and giving this story so much love!! If you want, you can check out the moodboard I made for it on Tumblr <a href="https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.tumblr.com/post/626806696582512640/rattle-the-stars-a-linctavia-treasure-planet-au">here</a>. Thanks again and I hope you liked the story if this is your first time reading it!</p><p><b>where else you can find me:</b> <a href="https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/the_river_held">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://she-who-the-river-could-not-hold.carrd.co/">my carrd</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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